Who was Murphy in Murphy's Law? (And the Hero Dr. John Paul Stapp Who Gave Us the Expression)

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So we should really re-name seat belts “Stapp Straps”

John Paul Stapp was my father's namesake and godfather, as he was close friends with my grandfather who also grew up in Decatur. My Dad would visit him in New Mexico whenever he passed through and got to see him not long before his death. Paul Stapp was a heck of a guy and great story teller.

I just turned 70. This makes me one of the few who remember when seat belts became mandatory in new cars. Not wearing them. Just the factory instaling them. Before that time, if you wanted seat belts you had to go to an auto parts store to buy them. Then have your mechanic install them. I am grateful to my parents and grandparents who believed in seat belts and consistently taught us four boys to wear them. Later I worked for some mortuaries. I saw what happened to people who crashed without wearing seat belts. 'Nuff said?

Dr Stapp is responsible for saving my life this week. I was in a near fatal motor vehicle accident on 8/19 My seatbelt saved my life

I'm glad I now know who to thank for being alive today. Dr. Stapp is someone who deserves to be better known.

Murphy's Law: "Whatever can go wrong will; and at the most inopportune time." The General's Credo: "Mr. Murphy was an optimist."

Dr. Stapp was brave, fearless, and in a lot of physical pain.

Dr. Stapp is an unsung hero. Thank you for bringing his story to fruition. There should be an award named after him.

As a retired Air Force flight medic I am well aware of Dr. Stapp.  He is one of our and Air Force Flight Surgeons hero's.  It was a joy to meet him in his later years.  Still humble and inspiring with a great sense of humor. You can still see a portion of the original track at Edwards AFB, CA, and more at the Air Force Flight Test Center Museum.  Well worth the trip to the high desert.

Whoa. What I was expecting - some humorous anecdotes - turned into a gut wrenching biography of Dr. Stapp (and others). I kept watching this video with incredulous apprehension as each detail unfolded. Why haven't we heard of this guy more? Is there a documentary about him? Thank you so much for telling his story. And yes - a seat belt did save my life in a terrible car accident decades ago.

Saw a sign on the highway yesterday that read: "Not buckled up? What's holding you back?"

Can you imagine this today? “Don’t have the money for for medical school so I’ll get a bachelor in zoology and a spare PHD instead”

My favorite Law: "Thou Shall No Expect Others to Think"

Today I Found Out that an absolute fearless science Chad stared death and physics down until they blinked. Multiple times. And many of us owe him our lives today because of it. What a trooper.

My grandpa is Dick in the quote from Joe Kittinger. He was an Air Force doctor and was even on a recent History Channel special on the balloon jump. He passed away a year ago but had so many stories about his time in the service. He and Joe remained friends his entire life.

brilliant, relentless and funny, Dr Stapp sounds like an absolutely delightful person to have a drink and a talk with

On the subject of rear facing seats in aircraft. While in the US Navy I got to experience being launched off an aircraft carrier in a C2 Greyhound. Interesting enough the seats for all the passengers were facing to the rear and when i asked about the orientation later they told me it was to increase survivability in the event of a crash and to reduce G-force related effects when landing on the carrier.

I have always said that the safest place on a plane is the rear - planes rarely reverse into mountainsides.

A rocket sled named "Gee Whiz" - cracked me up! Now, I can picture him, at the end of his run, jumping up with his hands held high, shouting....... "I'm OK.....I'm OK!". Love you, Simon! Love this channel! Keep 'em coming!